The Benefits of Being “Best Friends on the Ice”
“A lot of the chemistry with Jagr is natural,” Morrison said after last week's practice. “We're two smart players. We both see the ice similarly. We can read each other that way. But it's also about communication. We're really good friends on the ice. We're not afraid to tell each other if we're open or we're seeing a different play.”
As the youngest AHL team, the Firebirds have made an impressive push for home court advantage in the Western Conference playoffs, falling just seven points away from winning their third Western Conference title in just four seasons.
Morrison earned high praise from Larksdale for his leadership and defensive play at center on the top line. Veteran center Ben Meyers' leadership instincts kicked in when he was called up to the Kraken to form a dynamic fourth line with Jacob Melanson and Ryan Winterton, both former leaders who have excelled in their own ways at the AHL level.
Veterans of All Kinds—and Necessary
“I don’t consider myself an older guy,” said the 23-year-old, now in his third season in the AHL. “I feel like, I mean, I feel like I'm an older guy compared to a lot of the guys on our team and their age. So I really need to take on that leadership role (when Meyers was recalled after nine straight scoring games with the Firebirds). I have a big role on the team, especially with 'Messi' doing so well in Seattle. I feel like I need to step up and lead the guys.”[whenMeyerswasrecalledafterpostinganine-gamepointstreakwiththeFirebirdsIhaveabigroleintheteamespeciallywith”Meysie'doinggreatinSeattleIfeellikeIneedtostepupandleadtheguys”[whenMeyerswasrecalledafterpostinganine-gamepointstreakwiththeFirebirdsIhaveabigroleintheteamespeciallywith“Meysie’doinggreatinSeattleIfeellikeIneedtostepupandleadtheguys”
Larksdale said Morrison has played in four Kraken games and is working on executing the smaller details of a professional center role. Laxdal's speaking experience includes 67 NHL games, 16 professional seasons in North America and Europe and three years as an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars.
“Mo did a great job incorporating some of the things I’ve been asking him to do in the defensive zone game,” the Firebirds head coach said. “Obviously, he's playing well on both ends of the floor and raising his offensive game. He's scoring for us. The next step for him is going to be him starting to incorporate the little details into the game every night, whether it's coming in or finishing the game.”
“He still needs to work on some areas of his game. He's going to continue to work on getting stronger, building a good foundation and not getting easily bounced off of him in puck battles, like what sometimes happens. I was straight with Mo.”
